There's been a lot of talk in the media this week about the President's Advance Team after a volunteer was accused of bringing a prostitute back to his hotel room during a 2012 trip to Colombia.

This got us wondering, how does one become a volunteer for the prez? Not surprisingly, it isn't very easy.

When the president embarks on long trips, the White House advance office brings in a support staff. These staffers don't receive a salary but all of their travel-related expenses are paid for by the government. These volunteers assist with ticket collection, basic crowd control, and other duties at presidential events around the world.

Several spots in Central America have been on the "cool places to visit" list for a few years now, but Panama's popularity gains momentum with every headline event. Just this year, the country has had several new hotel openings (including an Ace!), it's the 100th Anniversary of the Panama Canal, and now Panama has debuted a brand new subway system.

It’s not every day you get to catch a ride aboard public transportation free from graffiti and litter, and of course on a train that still retains that new subway smell. Panama City debuted their new trains and tracks earlier this month, and they’re the first country in Central America to have such a system.

If we had to go and pick a favorite state then California would be close to the top. However, it looks like we might have a bit more difficulty picking a winner, as now there’s a plan to split up the Golden State into a few smaller nuggets.

There’s all kind of political implications, thoughts, and opinions surrounding the idea, but instead of taking sides or discussing the feasibility of the idea—we just kind of want to point out that this has become a thing. Basically a venture capitalist thinks that state is too big, and that by splitting things up into smaller states there would be more effective government and management of the new geographic units.

Last time we checked-in on the political protests happening in Bangkok, a few airlines had reduced service to the Thai capital. Even though there's no immediate cessation of anti-government protests in the near future, can travelers still consider Bangkok as a safe destination this season?

Interestingly enough, Thai Airways hasn't said much when it comes to reduced flights or travel waivers. There is a warning on their website that, due to road closures, they recommend leave 4 hours early before a scheduled flight. Apart from that, operations are running as per normal and as if nothing was actually happening in the city center.

The Rhode Island State House is located in the heart of downtown Providence, and you can see it from almost any angle in town. On top of the dome is a gold sculpture known as "The Free-Thinking Man," who represents the Ocean State's commitment to freedom of speech, thought, and expression.

And even though Rhode Island is the smallest state in the country, you'd never know that from the pride that locals have in their home.

On a tour of the State House, there's way more to see than big flags and fancy offices. Here are a couple of details you'll want to be on the lookout for:

It’s not exactly a time to party over in Greece—at least for the country’s residents—due to the ongoing financial problems, bailouts, and other money misery. We’re hardly experts when it comes to the economic situation in the region, but we do know they’re going to get an influx of cash sooner than later. That’s because the tourists are getting ready to arrive, as the weather gets warmer and those Greek islands become more and more appealing.

Obviously buying up some souvenir t-shirts isn’t going to save the economy, but a little extra cash from a few tourists certainly won’t hurt. That’s just one of the reasons that the country’s prime minister is asking residents to pitch in, and to show a smiling face to greet those coming to visit Greece.

There's no question that traveling to a country that doesn't share your motherland's political persuasion can be a little daunting, but since when is travel about revisiting the everyday? Our recent trip to Vietnam proved quite the wake-up, even though rocking up to passport control with an American passport is no longer anything to be worried about. Once granted entry, we were officially on Communist soil.

Usually we're pretty light-hearted when we travel because we simply love to explore new and exciting things. Eventually something does comes along, however, which shakes our soul and moves us in way that few other things have. Our recent exploration of Phnom Penh came with one of those moments while visiting the Genocide Museum. Vacations are supposed to full of good memories and a museum visit like this one doesn't sound too fun, but please stay with us; it's worth it.

Here's a little background before we get into our take on the grounds: back in April of 1975, Cambodia was in the thick of a government run by the political party of Democratic Kampuchea, led by the infamous Pol Pot. During this time, the security office S21 was created from a former primary school campus of four buildings, with the purpose of detaining Cambodian citizens considered a threat to the Communist movement, primarily those with education.

Is it wrong that, last night during the rolling in of Election 2012 results, we kept wondering who'd be the one to get Air Force One? A private 747 with the interior perks and history of AF1 is just one bonus of the presidency of course, but there's no doubting that Romney was hoping to upgrade his MD-83 campaign plane to the big one last night. Luckily Obama stays in the captain's seat (in the figurative sense).

Win or lose, Romney's plane still had to go back to the hangar at the conclusion of his campaign, and BusinessWeek has a fantastic article up on how exactly the lessor, USA Jets, will go about "de-Romneying" the plane before it may fly for another private client. We're going to guess that means peeling off the sticky-tack used to mount these photos over the windows (which definitely do not open in flight for a reason, MR).

Do read the full article, but we're still going to share some favorite passages:

Today's the day. Election Day. By tonight, the United States will (hopefully) have a decision on who will become the next President of the United States and the mud-slinging political commercials and phone calls and junk mail will come to an end...until the next election. Still, we cannot wait for the campaigns to shut up.

If you're living in a battleground state like Ohio or Florida, then you need a vacation from the rhetorica real vacation. Maybe head to one of these countries that do not hold elections for their top spot:

When you pick up a rental car it’s always a challenge. Even if the process goes smoothly there's always some little but of stress to complicate matters. Whether it's what kind of car you’re going to get, checking for previous damages, figuring out driving routes...the list goes on. Now there’s apparently one more thing to look for when doing your rental car walk around, as you’re going to need to check the back for political bumper stickers.

We couldn’t care less if you throw a bumper sticker onto the back of your personal car, but when someone else is doing so on your rental car it’s a different story. Apparently that’s exactly what’s happening at one Thrifty outlet in Buffalo, New York, as renters haven’t been too thrilled with seeing “Vote for the American” bumper stickers on their cars.

Are you ready for some presidential debating?! JetBlue sure is, as they've just launched a new promotion and contest called "Election Protection."

First off, go to the promo website and log in using Facebook. Declare yourself a Democrat or Republican (info which will not be shared) and choose your favorite destination from the dots on the map (pictured below). Then, after the Presidential Election on November 6, a whopping 1,006 contest entrants will win a roundtrip flight to that destination of their choice. The idea is that, should the candidate you voted for lose, you'll be heading straight out of the country. But trust that even if your candidate wins, you aren't disqualified from the contest.